Have you ever wanted to go for a walk and hit up almost all of London’s sights in one fell swoop? Well, Redditor, magulagie, has just the thing for you. They’ve created the ultimate London sightseeing map for tourists in a hurry. Just over five miles long on the map, it covers a ton of London’s most iconic features, and if you avoid going inside any of the places you pass, it’ll only take about two hours to fly by them all! Who needs to be filled in on all the historic interiors, anyway?
It’s the perfect way to cross a lot of hotspots off of your London tourist map bingo card, fill up your Instagram story, or just get your bearings for your first experience of London sightseeing. It’s like the Match of the Day of finding your way around London for the first time – and this one will hit like an injury-time winner.
Naturally, we had to give the sightseeing route a try for ourselves. And it definitely gets our Secret London seal of approval!
You’ll start off at Trafalgar Square…
You can’t complete a walking tour of London without a visit to Trafalgar Square, so we might as well kick things off with this roaring-statue-filled paradise of pigeons…and a slice of London’s history, of course. A mighty first spot, and one that Nelson would very much approve of being tucked into first place. Where else would we begin? Now, dust off your comfiest trainers, stretch those calf muscles, and get ready for a day of walking! ‘Tis only the beginning of our grand day out.
Take a stroll along the Mall…
When we say stroll, we mean a very speedy one – we’ve got a time limit here! No time for slackers along the way, pick up the pace. A route in honour of Queen Victoria has to be added to a London map of attractions, right? Well, not necessarily, but when it looks this grandiose, you’ll want to be making it the next stop on your sightseeing tour. On we march; our love of London grows stronger with each and every stride…
You can’t really miss this one, can you? The home of the Royal Family gazes out over the plush fields of Green Park and attracts millions of visitors each year. If you see King Charles, be sure to quiz him on whether he’s ticked off all these boxes on his London sightseeing tour. Will he be a mere poser on London attractions or a go-to knowledge box?
Then head along Birdcage Walk…
Credit: @ciaranthomas97, via IG
After you’ve taken a selfie with the Royal Family, it’s a no-brainer to make Birdcage Walk the next pin on your walking map of London attractions. Famous diary scribe, Samuel Pepys, mentioned this walk in his writings way back in the 1600s, and the name of the walk dates back to the reign of King James I. Not a bad smattering of history to saunter through on the way to your next destination. Tweet tweet.
Even if you’ve been before, or don’t plan to look inside, make time for the resplendent piece of Gothic architecture that is Westminster Abbey on your walking tour of London. It’s been the location of 39 coronations since 1066, and you can’t miss this crown jewel of London attractions. On we go.
Talking of jewels in London’s crown, it’s always nice to check out the big bonging boombox that is the Elizabeth Tower, better known as Big Ben. You can also kill two birds with one stone by adding the Houses of Parliament to your London sightseeing day, which, if nothing else, is worth a visit just to say that you’ve seen the place where Members of Parliament shout at the Members of Parliament sitting opposite them. And the place Guy Fawkes wanted to destroy…
Then head over to Westminster Bridge…
The second path over the river in Central London history (the first being London Bridge) has been here since 1750. Although it’s only been green since 1970. It’s the perfect spot for a moment of reflection on your walking tour of London… if you don’t get bumped out of the way by commuters hurrying across Westminster Bridge in the morning. Hey, it happens. Unless you’re the one who does the bumping. Then you’re the one to watch out for, you treacherous little fiend.
And you’ll get to the South Bank. Along here you’ll see the London Eye.
Though the queue might seem daunting, there’s no denying that the dome built for the millennium is something that must be seen when in London. The London Eye was even named London’s most loved landmark in a study, so at the very least you’ll need to head over there on your walking tour to see whether you agree.
Plus, the London Eye’s place in London’s list of attractions was recently cemented for posterity – it’s set to become a permanent fixture in the capital! But since we’re blazing our way through a quickfire walking tour, there’s no time to jump on board. Those pods go around slooooowwwwllllllyyy. Queuing and then getting on this is not what we’d call an efficient sightseeing tour. But go back another day to see the city in a different light on a steady ride and a 360-degree view of the capital.
Now for the Southbank Centre
There’s always something going on at the Southbank Centre. It’s a great place to hang out in the summer to catch some rays or to spend a rainy day viewing some art. And you’ll likely see us banging on about it all year round, from its fabulous Christmas markets to its beautiful summer settings.
And book stalls under Waterloo Bridge.
“I kept always two books in my pocket, one to read, one to write in.” Robert Louis Stevenson was a maverick with the pen, so maybe we should start adopting this practice too. If you’re looking for the former, then this is just the spot to stop on your London sightseeing walking tour. Perhaps the man who gave us Treasure Island and Kidnapped also once carried a London sightseeing map in his pocket…
Head past that scrap of sand we call the foreshore and the OXO Tower.
While we can’t get away with calling it a beach, we’ll just play pretend for this London sightseeing tour, okay?! There’s no time for a cocktail on these shores though… there’s a tour to be getting on with! Dawdlers, be gone. Time to set the sightseeing tour pace…
Before too long you’ll arrive at the Tate Modern.
The Tate Modern is London’s most popular art gallery, didn’t ya know? Are you going to go in? NO. THERE IS NO TIME. YOU MUST COMPLETE THE REST OF YOUR LONDON SIGHTSEEING MAP FIRST.
Carry on along the river a little bit and you’ll see Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre.
This is lowkey embarrassing, but (for the only time on this walk) you’ll have to double back on yourself very slightly. I know, I know – we said it was straightforward, and this is the ultimate betrayal. But it’s still not quite as tragic as the tragedies that have walked across this iconic theatre’s floors. Poor Hamlet…
Then it’s over Millennium Bridge:
2000 gave us Kid A by Radiohead, but it also gave us the opening of the incredibly useful Millennium Bridge. You can decide which you prefer for yourself, though you can, of course, enjoy them simultaneously along your London sightseeing map walk through the power of headphones. What a world, hey?
You’ve probably heard it’s beautiful inside, but you’re not allowed to take photos anyway, so, quite frankly, who’s got the time? Regardless, St Paul’s Cathedral is Christopher Wren’s masterpiece, and you’ll definitely want to check it off your London sightseeing tour list.
Then it’s time to walk along Cannon Street…
Credit: @millykr, via IG
This bit’s a little boring, to be honest. (It’s certainly nowhere near as pretty as its namesake in Birmingham.) But there is a stunning little townhouse, now home to The Walbrook Club, hidden away down a side street along the way. Don’t spend too long searching for it, though, as there are places to go and sights to see!
…until you get to The Monument!
Credit: @perspectivebyglenn, via IG
Don’t ask which monument. It’s The Monument and you’ll find it near Monument station. Keep your eyes peeled! Even though it towers overhead, it’s surprisingly easy to miss! The grand monument to the Great Fire of London in 1666 is a tall order for your London tour, but I’m sure you’ll make it worthwhile.
Now just roll down Lower Thames Street and you’ll soon get to the Tower of London!
You could go in, meet the ravens, chat with a Beefeater, and even check out the Crown Jewels. Or you could say ‘nahhhhhhhhhhh y’alright’ and carry on. There’s plenty more of your sightseeing tour to tick off. Anyway, it’s a classy fortress and it might look easy on the eye, but it was also used to lock people up in the Tudor period. So, don’t get on the wrong side of them…
Tower Bridge is, like, right next door. Get a load of that.
There are still a few more to go on this London sightseeing map. Getting tired yet? Good. You’ve nearly earned your end-of-tour pint. Hey! Stop thinking about alcohol and feast your eyes on Tower Bridge. And then get ready to sternly lecture the next person who gets Tower Bridge and London Bridge mixed up.
Just a couple of minutes away, you’ll reach the pretty marina at St. Katherine’s Docks:
Frankly, we need a pint by now… But St. Katherine’s Docks is pretty, and pretty much wraps up our London tourist map. I can practically hear the sound of beer filling our waiting glasses and the pitter-patter of pub frequenters making their way to the bar.
Until – hurrah! – you finally arrive at a flower-festooned pub.
And what a charming, floral spot to finish it all up! Well played, my tourist friend: the cheeriest of cheers to you. Pint.
Places to store your luggage in London
For those adventurers who plan on jumping straight off the train and diving headfirst into a day of sightseeing; we’ve got you covered. There are plenty of spots across the city for you to offload your baggage so that you can be nice and light on your feet for all that speed walking.
Plenty of big London stations offer left luggage for a small cost. Charing Cross, Euston, King’s Cross, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Paddington, St Pancras International and Victoria all have spots for you to leave your luggage. Other London luggage storage companies that might come in handy are Bounce, LuggageHero and Radical Storage.
So, what are you waiting for? Get those bags dropped off, those hiking boots on, and let’s go sightseeing!
